Using Elements and Attributes A perennial question arising in the mind of SGML/XML DTD designers is whether to model and encode certain information using an element, or alternatively, using an attribute. For example, given some information about the 'title' of a work and the goal of encoding this information in markup, which of the two encodings is preferable, and what principles can be used to decide? By mcswellin Software > Programming Languages > XMLwith xml